# Rebecca Shepherd - Restore Britain Candidate, Makerfield # Rebecca Shepherd — Restore Britain Candidate, Makerfield By-Election 2026 **Last updated:** 24 May 2026 **By-election date:** Thursday 18 June 2026 --- ## Bio | Detail | Info | |--------|------| | **Age** | 53 | | **Location** | Wigan borough, Greater Manchester — lived there "most of her adult life" | | **Occupation** | Small business owner | | **Businesses** | **Seven Stars Equestrian** (equestrian equipment shop, also known as "Pony and Horse") + **Equine Escapes CIC** — a Community Interest Company providing equine-based activities for children with SEND needs | | **Personal** | Has a child who receives SEND support themselves. Husband is Dutch-Indonesian | | **First-time candidate** | Yes — this is her first ever election campaign | | **Party** | Restore Britain (led by Rupert Lowe, launched Feb 2026) | | **Democracy Club ID** | 139187 | | **Campaign email** | makerfield@restorebritain.org.uk | --- ## How She Got Selected Restore Britain's first Westminster candidate. Rupert Lowe personally announced her as candidate on X/Twitter on 18 May 2026 — the post got **29,805 likes** and **5,549 retweets**. Lowe campaigned alongside her in Makerfield the day after the announcement. She was selected over Reform UK's rumoured candidate **Tyson Fury** — a fact Restore Britain supporters on Reddit were pleased about. --- ## Key Statements & Quotes - "Understands first-hand the pressures facing local businesses and working families" - Concerned about "rising costs, excessive red tape, bureaucracy, and overregulation" - "Passionate advocate for improved SEND support" - **24 May 2026:** "We were expecting 40 people... then 150 showed up" — referring to a campaign event turnout exceeding expectations - Campaign slogan/framing: Restore Britain says she is "exactly the type of person we need in politics — not career politicians" (Rupert Lowe) --- ## Policy Platform Based on Restore Britain's official Makerfield candidate page and campaign material: 1. **Safer streets** — targeting what the party describes as "gangs of foreign men" who harass women in Ashton 2. **Anti-overdevelopment** — specifically in South Hindley and Winstanley 3. **SEND reform** — avoid overdiagnosis, invest in playgrounds, targeted support for children with additional needs. Criticises the current system for creating "a growing culture of dependency" 4. **Anti-social behaviour crackdown** — visible policing, parental responsibility 5. **High street revival** — free parking, abolish business rates, investigate vape shops/Turkish barbers for immigration and trading standards issues --- ## Polling | Poll | Date | Shepherd (Restore Britain) | LAB (Burnham) | REF (Kenyon) | |------|------|---------------------------|---------------|---------------| | Survation/Sunday Times | 23 May 2026 | **7%** | 43% | 40% | | Survation (early) | 16 May 2026 | — | 45% | 42% | At **7%**, Shepherd's candidacy is widely seen as splitting the right-wing vote away from Reform UK. This is a critical factor in Burnham's narrow 3-point lead. Without Restore Britain in the race, Reform's 40% + Restore's 7% = 47%, which would put Reform ahead of Labour on 43%. **Local context:** Reform UK won all 8 council wards in Makerfield in the May 2026 local elections with approximately 50% of the vote, suggesting strong ground-level organisation that Restore Britain will need to overcome. --- ## Key Partnerships & Endorsements - **Rupert Lowe** — personally selected her, has campaigned with her in Makerfield, posted multiple times promoting her - **Elon Musk** — endorsed Restore Britain generally (24 May 2026), significantly raising the party's profile - **Duncan Bannatyne** (Dragons' Den) — reportedly endorsed her candidacy - **Kate Hoey** — has criticised Restore Britain's decision to stand a candidate in Makerfield, arguing it splits the right-wing vote (but no direct criticism of Shepherd herself) - **Andrew Bridgen MP** — active supporter, posted "Restore Britain is going to shock the establishment in Makerfield" (24 May) --- ## X/Twitter Activity (24 May 2026) Notable tweets mentioning or by Rebecca Shepherd / Restore Britain in Makerfield: | Account | Content | Platform | |---------|---------|----------| | English Rose 🇬🇧 | "Makerfield Restore Britain candidate, Rebecca Shepherd: 'We were expecting 40 people... then 150 showed up'" | X | | Ben Jones 🇬🇧 | "Rebecca Shepherd is stepping up as our next Restore Britain MP—let's bring her the same patriotic victory we saw in Great Yarmouth" | X | | Rupert Lowe MP | "Rebecca Shepherd and Restore Britain can win in Makerfield and send the biggest shock in British political history" (22 May) | X | | Restore Britain | "Hundreds of Restore Britain members out across Makerfield today" (23 May) — accompanied by campaign photos | X | | Ian Matthews | "Restore Britain have swooped in and delivered a Masterpiece of policies from taxi drivers to hairdressers" (24 May) | X | | VoxPopuli | "Patriot with a broken-leg is out today campaigning for Restore Britain in Makerfield" (24 May) | X | | The Raging Bull | "Restore Britain is going to get thousands and thousands of votes in Makerfield. We are in this to win it." (24 May) | X | | Rupert Lowe MP | "Strong support from Elon Musk for Restore Britain in the Makerfield by-election. There can be no better or stronger ally from across the pond." (23 May) | X | | Andrew Bridgen | "Restore Britain is going to shock the establishment in Makerfield." (24 May) | X | --- ## Reddit Discussion ### Most Significant Threads | Thread | Subreddit | Score | Comments | Sentiment | |--------|-----------|-------|----------|-----------| | Rupert Lowe announces Rebecca Shepherd as Restore Britain candidate | r/ukpolitics | **93** | 318 | Mixed/Sceptical | | Makerfield Candidate announced: Rebecca Shepherd | r/RestoreBritain | **122** | 26 | Supportive | | Restore name their candidate for Makerfield by-election | r/reformuk | 8 | 7 | Neutral/Mixed | | Restore Britain announces Makerfield by-election candidate | r/unitedkingdom | **163** | 361 | Mixed/Sceptical | | First poll: LAB 43%, Reform 40%, Restore Britain 7% | r/ukpolitics | **204** | 264 | Analytical | | Elon Musk backs Restore Britain | r/unitedkingdom | **603** | 376 | Overwhelmingly negative | ### Key Reddit Sentiment **r/ukpolitics (top comment, +153):** "How does properly funding SEND fit with reducing public services/benefits/lower taxes?" — highlights the perceived contradiction between Restore Britain's small-state platform and Shepherd's SEND advocacy. **r/ukpolitics (+88):** "Interesting to see how Reform perform with Restore on the ballot" **r/ukpolitics (+70):** "How long before some choice Facebook posts of hers turn up?" — with reply "One week either side of the election" **r/ukpolitics (+21):** "Clever politics — a working mum on benefits raising a child with special needs. Perfect candidate for working-class areas" **r/unitedkingdom (+196):** "Andy Burnham will be overjoyed at the right vote split. Suspect it's sour grapes from Lowe not stepping aside for Reform" **r/unitedkingdom (+97):** "A small business owner from the area sounds better than someone using the constituency for power" **r/reformuk (+8):** "This has real potential to split the vote" **r/RestoreBritain (+36):** Full tweet text and full-throated support **r/RestoreBritain (+13):** "Get ready for backlash — her partner is Dutch with Indonesian father" — predicting internal party tensions **r/RestoreBritain (+4):** "That SEND support is massive" ### Notable Sceptical Comments - **+3 on r/RestoreBritain:** "Seriously lmao? They picked someone who gets government grants for ADHD kids to see ponies" - **+1 on r/reformuk:** "She runs a horse therapy business for ADHD kids paid by taxpayer. Married to [Dutch-Indonesian] guy. Hardly matches Restore rhetoric" - **+56 on r/ukpolitics:** "His [Burnham's] local popularity not showing up in polls — he only leads because Restore splits Reform" --- ## SEND Policy — Detailed View Shepherd's primary issue. Per a Substack piece by supporter Lance Turner (19 May), her approach: - **"Zero tolerance for overdiagnosis"** — believes too many children are being labelled - **Targeted investment** rather than blanket funding increases - **Practical, community-led activities** — her own Equine Escapes CIC is the model - Criticises the current SEND system for creating "a growing culture of dependency" This is her strongest differentiator from other candidates and her most personal issue (she has a child receiving SEND support). --- ## Controversies **No personal controversies found** about Rebecca Shepherd herself. She has no prior political activity, no problematic social media history has been unearthed, and she has been described as a "clean candidate" by her supporters. **However, her party and association bring baggage:** - Restore Britain is described by Wikipedia and Hope Not Hate as **"far-right and right-wing"** - Rupert Lowe's party was formed after his split from Reform UK, driven by a personal feud with Nigel Farage - Elon Musk's endorsement has drawn heavy criticism - The "neo-fascists back Restore Britain" thread on r/unitedkingdom (score 556, 721 comments) highlights far-right support for the party - Her husband being Dutch-Indonesian has been flagged by some Restore Britain supporters as a potential source of internal party tension --- ## What It Means - **At 7% in the polls,** Shepherd is a **kingmaker** in a knife-edge race. Every vote for Restore Britain is a vote that doesn't go to Reform. Without her on the ballot, Reform UK would likely be polling ahead of Labour. - Rupert Lowe has explicitly stated Restore Britain is in Makerfield "to win it" — not just to split the vote. However, the 7% polling figure suggests that's aspirational rather than realistic. - **Restore Britain sees this as their national launchpad.** Makerfield is their first Westminster contest. A strong showing (2nd place, or close to 10%) would legitimise them as a national force. - **Her SEND platform** is a genuine differentiator from both Labour and Reform, but faces the obvious question: how does a small-state, tax-cutting party fund improved SEND provision? - **Elon Musk's endorsement** has raised Restore Britain's profile enormously, but may also be a liability with the local working-class electorate Musk's brand doesn't necessarily resonate with. - The right-wing vote split (Reform 40%, Restore 7%, Tory 2%) is **the deciding factor** in this race — and Rebecca Shepherd is the wildcard in that equation. --- ## Sources - [Leigh Journal — Restore Britain candidate profile (18 May 2026)](https://www.leighjournal.co.uk) - [LBC — Restore Britain announces Makerfield candidate (19 May 2026)](https://www.lbc.co.uk) - [The Spectator — Steerpike on Restore's candidate (18 May 2026)](https://www.spectator.co.uk) - [Substack — Lance Turner on Shepherd's SEND policy (19 May 2026)](https://lanceturner.substack.com) - [Democracy Club — Rebecca Shepherd profile](https://democlub.democracyclub.org.uk/person/139187) - [Reddit — Rupert Lowe announces Rebecca Shepherd (r/ukpolitics)](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1tgg8xc/rupert_lowe_i_am_proud_to_announce_local/) - [Reddit — Makerfield Candidate announced (r/RestoreBritain)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RestoreBritain/comments/1tgg6o5/makerfield_candidate_announced_rebecca_shepherd/) - [Reddit — Restore Britain announces candidate (r/unitedkingdom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/comments/1tgy6d9/restore_britain_announces_makerfield_byelection/) - [Reddit — First poll: LAB 43%, Reform 40%, Restore 7% (r/ukpolitics)](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1tlpgck/first_poll_of_makerfield_election_labour_43/) - [Manchester Evening News — Burnham by-election LIVE](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/andy-burnham-makerfield-election-live-33960781)